P  S 

3505 

A77593 

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1910 

MAIN 


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14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


LOAN  DEPT. 


FOUR  SONNETS 

AND  A  SONGLET 


BY 


WALTER    CARRUTH 

OAKLAND,  CALIFORNIA 
JANUARY  1.  1910 


P535-* 

m 


SIGNAL  RIDGE  and  RANCHERIA  CREEK 

T  tke  first  peep    of     dawn  my  wkeel  be 
striding, 

Tke  winding  road  along  tke  ridge  I  take  ; 

Below  tke  valley  lies,  a  fog-filled  lake  ;— 

Tke  long  grade  calls  for  cool  and  careful 

riding ; — 

Wkile  sluggisk  folk  in  bed  are  still  abiding 
I  round  tke  sinuous  curves  witk  ready  brake. 
Stopping  at  ferny  spring  my  tkirst  to  slake, 
Wkile  startled  j'ays  give  me  a  noisy  ckiding ; 

Furry  wood  folk  run  scurrying  from  tke  road, 
Tke  ceanotkus  fragrance  fills  tke  air, 
Tke  redwood  bougks  exkale  tkeir  incense  load, 
Azalias  tkrill  me  witk  tkeir  odor  rare ; 
And  now  a  note  for  wkick  I've  listed  long, 
Sweet  beyond  words,  tke  tkrusk's  matin  song. 


THE  RHODODENDRONS 

NOYO  RIDGE 

IGH  the  Jay's  close  when  spent  with  heavy 

wheeling 

I    struck   a   ridge  road  white  with   shift 
ing  sand, 
Through  which  I  pushed  my  wheel  with 

-weary  Land  ; 
Naught  in  the  prospect  to  one  sense  appealing 
Till  the  scrub  cypress  opened  out,  revealing 
"Where  rosy  rhododendrons  splendid  stand, 
Gay  valiant  knights,  the  lords  of  that  waste  land  ; 
Hidden  they  reign  midst  cypress  ranks  concealing. 

Cheered  hy  the  sight  fatigue  and  hunger  vanished, 
My  ardor  rose  as  each  shruh  came  in  view, 
All  else  hut  Beauty  from  my  hreast  was  hanished. 
And  dear  Dame  Nature  gained  her  homage  due, — 
A  homage  and  allegiance  death  may  sever, 
But  till  all  end  it  shall  he  ended  never. 


A  ROMEO  OF  THE  BOUGH 

ELATED  in  tke  Paso  Robles  kills 
In  April,  fated  montk  of  Nineteen-six,* 
At  dusk  I  lost  my  road,  an  awkward  fix  ; 
I  Lad  no  wisk  to  tempt  tke  evening  ckills ; 
(Visions  of  malaria  and  doctor's  tills)  ; 
\Vnen   from   a   moss-clad   oak    o  erkead 

tkere  floats 

Not  kird  song,  tut  suck  love-impassioned  notes 
As  make  me  quite  forget  tke  tLreatened  ills. 

Nature  brings  solace  to  ner  devotee, — 

Owl  love-notes,  needed  tilings  like  food  and  fire, — 

Suck  was  tke  sweet  relief  ske  krougkt  to  me. 

And  satisfied  cay  uttermost  desire. 

And  now  I  trow,  tkere  is  no  featkered  fowl 

Can  play  tke  Romeo  like  tke  pyginy  owl. 


*Returning  from  this  wheeling  trip  by  rail,  a  belated  train  brought  me  into 
San  Francisco  after  the  last  Oakland  boat  had  departed,  and  that  uncanny  visitor, 
the  temblor  (sounds  better  than  earthquake)  of  Nineteen-six,  found  me  leaning 
against  the  arcade  at  the  Ferry  building  waiting  for  the  first  boat  across  the 
Bay,  which  I  took,  leaving  San  Francisco  sadly  shaken  and  ablaze. 


TRESPASSING  ON  "THE  HEIGHTS" 

Respectfully  Inscribed  to  the  Bard  of  the  Sierras 

IKING  or  late  across  the  poet's  grounds 
Laden  with  toyon  gay  and  roots  of  fern, 
Ravished  from  off  tke  far  side  of  the  turn 
\Vhose  foaming  cascades    mark  his  eastern 

hounds, 

I  spied  the  ancient  hard  upon  his  rounds  ; 
His  eagle  eye  for  trespassers  was  "peeled," 
But  only  with  high  top-hoots  was  he  "heeled  ;" — 
That  he  spied  me  was  patent  from  the  sounds. 

An  interview  the  poet  sought  full  sore, 
But  I,  rememhering  his  lyric  fire 
And  mindful  of  those  numher  tens  he  wore. 
Resisted  his  entreaties  to  draw  nigher. 
Preferring  much  some  day  to  call  again 
\Vhen  nothing  from  the  canyon-side  Fd  ta'en. 


HOLLY  AND  MISTLETOE 

A  SONGLET 

OES  tne  jolly 
Berried  Holly 
Tempt  to  folly? 

No,  an  no  ! 
'T  is  the  sly. 
Feigning  shy 

Mistletoe, 
Hanging  nign, 

That  does  so. 


U.  C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


Photomount 

Pamphlet 

Binder 

Gaylord  Bros.,  Inc. 

Makers 
Stockton,  Calif. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

RENEWALS  ONLY—TEL.  NO.  642-3405 
This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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General  Library 

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